Saturday, December 22, 2012

On the Way to the United
kingdom

Carisbrook to Hong Kong

Tuesday, 25th September 2012

Mr & Mrs Ryan Oliver

It had been a very busy weekend leading up to this day.
Ryan and Sarah were married on the Saturday culminating a week of visitors and
preparation. We didn't leave the reception at the Novotel in Creswick until
after 2 p.m. due to a lack of taxis to take us back to Ryan's house with his
two Japanese guests. The next day saw a rush to the train station twice to see
his friends off followed by an afternoon of packing for this trip. Visitors in
the form of Alby and Eleanor, (the Gypsy Twitchers) filled in any spare time we
might have had.

Emily dropped us off at the airport and drove back home.
She had three assignments due before the wedding and another one in three days.
Ryan and Sarah met us at the terminal and we had a quick lunch. They would be
heading to Fiji at the end of the week for their honeymoon. A quick goodbye and
we were soon working our way through customs.

The Qantas flight was 9 hours but by a quirk we managed to
get upgraded to business class. It’s
a long story but suffice to say we enjoyed the extra leg room and service that
separates it from the cattle class. We arrived at 9.30 p.m. Hong Kong time and
had to catch a taxi to the Royal View Hotel as we missed the shuttle bus. It
wasn't too bad once we did the exchange rate which was one Australian dollar to
eight Hong Kong dollars.

By the time we settled into our room it was after midnight,
around 2 p.m. back in Australia. We slept well.

Day 2 September 26th

Hong Kong

The view from our room

The view from our window was spectacular! We were on a
cliff face by the bay with a large span bridge above us connecting to another
island where a second bridge led off to the right. I can only marvel at the
engineering feat that went into these and many other similar constructions.

I did a walk down the stairs nearby to the beach area and
saw my first new birds for the trip; a Red whiskered Bulbul and a Magpie Robin.

We took the hotel shuttle bus to Tien Wan Station where we boarded
a train to Mongkok. We’d been there before
and enjoyed the market and today was pretty much as we remembered it.

Monkok Market

I bought a pair of sunglasses while Glenda bought two pairs
of shoes and some binoculars. We had lunch at a cheap Chinese restaurant and
headed back to the hotel where I returned to the beach for some serious
birding.

Yellow-breasted Bunting

I managed a Yellow-breasted Bunting which was intriguing as
the bird tore at some binding on a fence gate presumably for nesting material. It
wasn’t concerned by my
presence at all and I managed to find a seat to use to stabilise my camera.

Day
3 September 27th

Hong Kong

The breakfasts at the hotel were to die for with a range of
options to suit all cultures staying there. We tended to mix all of them! Fresh
salads, omelettes made to order, dim sims, baked beans, pork buns, pows, toast,
fresh coffee and the list goes on. It was enough to sustain us all day and
encourage some exercise in the form of stairs and long walks.

Today's destination was the HK Wetlands Park which required
a different station and a change to a light train from the main line we took. We
began at a different station to yesterday’s but found negotiating the
timetable easier on this occasion.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Our journey took us into some countryside until the next
copse of huge high rise apartments appeared. I would hate to live in such a
building, indeed the crowds would get to me if we stayed too long in this city.
Being spoilt in the wide open spaces of Australia is a blessing.

The sky was clear and hot in the open so by the time we
reached the impressive entrance to the park I had to buy a hat while Glenda
opted for an umbrella. The wetlands were excellent with a number of bird hides
overlooking different environments which ranged from mangroves to creeks and
lakes. While birds weren't prolific the ones we saw made up for it including
close ups with Bulbuls and a waterhen species.

When we entered the first hide I realized l was out of my
league as a number of boys with their 500+ lenses were set up. They were a
noisy lot with mobile phones going off regularly despite the signs asking for
quiet. Only a single Little Egret and a lone Intermediate Egret were there but
it may have been the social gathering that attracted the photographers.

There were some good shots available at the park and l
could have spent more time if available. The information centre was very modern
and worth a look as well, almost like a modern hands on museum.

We did the long walk back to the station and the train
change back to pick up the shuttle to the hotel. That night we dined at the
hotel restaurant and were blown away by the offering. I’ll let Glenda describe it as
it is her field. Suffice to say we were hurting by the time we finished.

Day 4 September 28th

Hong Kong

Part of the harbour from under the bridge

Downloading photos was becoming a concern as we only had Glenda’s ipad. On past trips I’d always carried my laptop and
worked on my photos at night but as we were travelling internationally and
weight restrictions applied to luggage we decided to leave it behind. This was
already becoming frustrating as the ipad, while compact and user friendly,
lacked the sophistication and memory of the programs on my laptop. Besides,
Glenda needed her computer time as well so it was the cause of some tension.

The Hong Kong trains were very efficient

After checking out of our motel and leaving our luggage in
their secure area we again took the train to Monkok. I felt that an extra
memory card for my camera would be useful as I might go well over the thousand
plus photos it could handle. In the end I would take over 2000 photographs
which would remain on my camera and its original memory card, the new purchase
not being necessary.

We collected our luggage and took a taxi to the airport.
The British airways flight wasn’t to leave until
late and would be a 12 hour journey across China, Russia and parts of Europe. I
thoroughly enjoyed the first section of the journey watching the vast area in
the dark lit up by the cities and towns of China. Russia seemed more spread out
in the darkness but my imagination of what was going on below us kept me awake
for a good part of the journey.

As we approached London it was early morning and still
dark. The lights of this huge city amazed me. I wasn’t expecting such a large
sprawl of houses and buildings or the beauty that the golden night lights
provided. This looked like the makings of an excellent adventure.

We left Hong Kong last night at 11.25 p.m. After three days
of walking and catching trains in that most amazing place. We were tired but
ready for something equally different.

The flight to London was with British Airways which was a
new experience for us. It was a 12 ½
hour flight and I really enjoyed looking out the plane window at the lights
that continually covered China and then appeared sporadically for much of
Russia. I slept fitfully during the night, but Glenda slept well. Breakfast was
served around 3.30 am and by 4.50 a.m. we were there. The view from the plane
was truly breathtaking as we approached Heathrow. As the plane touched down we
were wide awake.

There was no hurry at the border control (Customs), at
least on the part of the Customs Officers. There was a station for UK and UE
passport holders to move through early and a place for "All Others".
This meant Australians and a huge number of African people and first time students
moving into the country lined up facing a handful of counters. We moved at a
snail’s pace before
finally getting through. This meant a brief wait until 7a.m for a number 707
bus to take us to Luton Airport so we could then be picked up by a staff member
from Just Go, the Motorhome company from whom we had hired our vehicle.

A crash on a nearby highway meant an hour wait for the bus.
A sulky driver didn't help so by the time we reached Luton we were agitated.
The weather was clear but with a slight chill which was a significant change to
the humidity of Hong Kong. A girl from Just Go arrived and drove us to the
property where we were to pick up the motorhome. She took us along typical
narrow lanes that despite being two way traffic concerns just managed the width
of a motorhome. We encountered two vehicles coming from the other direction and
experienced our first taste of "the right of passage". Basically the
larger vehicle goes first and the smaller backs up or drives off the road in anticipation.
There's no room for road rage and it obviously works!

The Motorhome with toilet & shower built in. Perfect!

Glenda

After the usual run through of forms and a tour of our
vehicle we set off. Our first stop was Tesco in Hamel Hampstead to stock up on
groceries, a phone for Gary and some essentials for the motor home. We decided
not to hire the linen from Justgo as it was very expensive. Instead we packed
our own. Very old towels, sheets, doona cover, hand towels, face washers,
pillow cases that we could dispose of at the end of the trip. We purchased a
double doona for $16, 2 pillows for $7. ( please note I am converting costs to
$) It worked out much cheaper than the $125 to hire linen. We were pleasantly
surprised with the cost of groceries. Having done some homework prior to the
trip, most indications were that food items were cheaper in the UK. This proved
to be the case in most instances. Fruit and vegetables were very cheap, e.g. a
pack of 2 mini cos lettuce for 70 c compared to home $2.98, truss tomatoes
$2.50, 800gm loaf of bread 80 c, salt and pepper containers would you believe
15c. Wine can also be purchased quite cheap with NZ Sav Blancs around $7 a
bottle. They do have 2 litre bottles of wine from Chile and Italy for $3 but I do
not think we will try them though. Meat and dairy products seem comparable to
prices at home.

Gary

With only a small map and vague directions on how to get to
Abbey Wood and our first caravan park we headed off. My sense of direction was
out and combined with travel fatigue I wasn't the best company!

We hit the M1 freeway which was as busy as expected. It was
like a time warp travelling in miles instead of kilometres so judging time and
distance will be an added challenge over the next six weeks.

We made more than a few wrong turns but as Glenda put it,
"this is an adventure in itself". On any other day l might have been
more appreciable. We bumbled into the town of Abbey Wood and narrowly missed a
dead end in the form of a restricted vehicle road. Metal barriers prevented
only vehicles around two meters wide to enter a narrow street. Crikey, we were
continually pulling over to let cars squeeze by as it was!

The North American Grey Squirrel is an introduced species

We drove in to the caravan park about 2 o’clock with much relief. It was
very much like an Aussie equivalent with the exception of the trees which were
mostly oak trees. We set up and slowly unpacked and sorted our groceries and
clothing for the trip as this will be home for quite a while.

I managed to stalk a few squirrels late afternoon and
started to add to my UK bird list. It was interesting to see Starlings hop around
our feet like Sparrows at home. English Magpies were about as were some ravens.
A local flock of feral Indian Ringed-necked Parakeets were common here so I had
enough to interest me.

We ate bread and cheese for tea, Glenda absolutely jet
lagged to the point of exhaustion. We were both asleep by 8 p.m. local time
which was 5 a.m. back in Aus. We'd been on the go for quite a time without
proper sleep.

Day 2 Sept 30th

Abbey Wood, LONDON

I woke up around three in the morning and remained fairly
much awake for the rest of the night. Glenda was much the same but stayed snug
and warm for longer than I.

I did a walk around the park and photographed my first
English Robin which was a thrill. A few others appeared also so I was in a good
mood. Glenda prepared porridge, banana and golden syrup for breakfast which was
filling and seemed appropriate, being in England and all that. We walked the
two blocks to the train station and took in the terraced houses along the way. The
most prominent feature of their front yards was the rubbish bins unfortunately.

Narrow streets and houses pushed together with no yards

I asked a local bloke for directions to the railway
station. His answer had me giggling as it was real English stuff;

“
You see that geezer with the dog? Go down the lane behind him and turn right at
the end. It’s on the left.”

The train took us to Charing Cross Station which was a
different one to the one I had planned. It was a simple mistake but it turned
out to be both useful and costly. Andy who is a Shorin Ryu Karate student
phoned and we planned to meet near Tower Bridge late afternoon. Instead of
taking the train to Cannon Street Station I chose the one above and we ended up
at Trafalgar Square. This was okay but we’d planned to visit tomorrow
and not do too much walking today. Huge error!

Looking down from Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square was much bigger than I thought but just as
exciting as I'd anticipated. So too were its monuments and the walk past
Buckingham Palace to Parliament House. Being a Sunday it was busy and we noted
many French and German conversations happening along the way.

Nelson's Column

A right royal guard outside Buckingham Palace

Statues to the glory of the Empire, its monarchs and heroes
abound in this magnificent place. I was pleased to see one of Queen Boadicea
and of course Nelson dominated Trafalgar on a huge column which was appropriate.

Where Big Ben is housed

We eventually decided to try and get to Tower Bridge where
we were going to meet Andy and that’s
when the fun started. The subway, better known as the tube wasn't too welcoming
and we found ourselves lost and missing a station or two. A number of lines
were closed for maintenance it being a Sunday. We found ourselves having to
back track a few times which was very frustrating. Luckily we had a traveller’s pass which entitled us to
unlimited travel in trains, subway, and buses for the day.

Tower Bridge

On reaching the Tower of London we did the walk across the
Bridge. Andy was late in meeting us and we had to cancel as it was getting
late.A long walk to Canon Street
Station was even more painful when we found it closed for the day for
maintenance! A number 15 London bus took us back to Trafalgar Square and a
train back to the motorhome.

On a whim we ducked into the local pub at Abbey Wood near
the station. A pint of beer turned into three and we engaged a few locals in
some chat. It’s easy to see what
a trap an English pub could become (much like the pubs of my miss-spent youth
in Ballarat).

The owner walked passed as we sat there and realising we
weren’t regulars said g’day; “Hello Luv. Hello Governor,” and walked on.

We were again exhausted yet Glenda managed to put together
a stir fried chicken for dinner. We're going to stay up later tonight to help
acclimatize but I fear we’ll both be asleep
before nine o’clock.

Day 3 October 1st

Abbey Wood

There was steady drizzle for most of the night. I know this
because I woke up around 3 a.m. and had a similar sleep pattern to the previous
night. I did some photo searching for a time and went back to bed and slept
until 9.30 a.m.

We both have blistered feet from the walking and the steady
rain kept us at the park for most of the day.

We caught up on washing and generally had a relaxing day.

The local Magpies and squirrels kept me entertained during
the breaks in the weather and I'm enjoying the challenge of a quarry other than
birds for a change.

Glenda

Dinner tonight was steak, mushrooms and vegetables. Limited
cooking utensils and resources in the motorhome, compared to our caravan, make
it a challenge in what can be prepared. I just managed to cook tonight's steak
in the tiny frying pan. There is a microwave in the motorhome, but no microwave
dishes. I may need to look out for an op shop to buy some cheap ones.

Addendum: Bloody delicious my Love!

Day 4 October 2nd

Abbey Wood - The Orchards (near Clacton-on-Sea)

I awoke again around 3 a.m. for the third night in a row. It
is getting better but l really wasn't expecting jet lag to be this difficult.
The dawn chorus is very different to home for obvious reasons. I can't
recognize all the calls but the Crows and I think the Magpies stand out. The higher
pitched trills and calls probably come from the Robins and Blackbirds.

Pests but still cute

We emptied the grey
water and the toilet before we headed off towards the east coast. This process
is necessary and we decided to get into a regular routine of disposing of our waste
as we move around. Because there are no water mains to connect to in UK parks
we have to fill the tanks by hand and empty the grey water every few days. It
doesn't take long and in truth it’s
quite painless. Glenda had done her homework and had a good idea of which roads
we needed to get to our destination. Despite that I became nervous quite soon
after our departure and I was stressed by the traffic and the narrow roads.

Miles take longer to
cover than kilometres and by the time we reached Colchester it seemed like we
were on the road for hours. The town was very busy and we had great difficulty
finding a park for the vehicle. Most town parks had height barriers that we
just couldn't fit under. The reason for these barriers we later found out was
to stop motorhomes from free parking overnight. We wanted to take our time here
as it is England's oldest town but we left in frustration as we couldn't find a
park anywhere!

Just as we were leaving I noticed a Tesco Superstore so we
parked in their parking area and ventured in for some extra shopping. That
concluded we headed on to Clacton-on-Sea. Again parking was difficult but
eventually we found one albeit we protruded onto the road a tad. Glenda finally
found some knitting needles and I managed to buy a book about the birds of The
UK. With that done we drove on to St Osyth where we eventually found the
Orchards Caravan Park. Rain began soon after, prohibiting any local search of
the area.

At the end of the day, our first week since leaving home,
we are again exhausted from the stress of driving in crowded conditions.

Glenda

Yes, Gary's waking at 3 am..........need I say more.
Problem is Gary is ready for bed at 6.30pm. He is finding it difficult to
adjust to time difference.

Breakfast this morning was porridge which is becoming our
usual. I have always liked porridge but found it made me feel unwell
afterwards. Since have discovered if I do not have milk on it, I am okay. So I am
enjoying porridge with banana and golden syrup minus the milk. Porridge cooked
with water. I think I have always had an intolerance for milk, but interesting
not to milk products such as cheese, yogurt, cream etc

Our destination today was Colchester. Having read about
this town being the first established town in the UK, dating back to the Roman
Invasion, I was interested in seeing it, especially the ruins of the castle.
This proved to be quite impossible as we could not find a suitable park
anywhere, so in frustration, as Gary mentioned we headed for Clacton. We have
lots to learn about motorhomes and driving in the UK.

We enjoyed a much needed wine on arrival at the caravan
park. Cooked chow mien tonight for dinner.

Steady rain tonight. Always like the sound of rain when we
are in the van at home, same here with the motor home.

Day 5 October 3rd

St Osyth - Diss

An overcast morning greeted me as l set out on my early
morning walk. Our motorhome neighbours, Mick and Chris had alerted me to the
estuary next to this huge caravan park so I headed towards it through a gaggle
of Mallard Ducks which seemed quite happy to share their part of the park with
me.

Stranded on the tidal mudflats

I surprised a lone Curlew as l summited a sea wall next to
a large boggy, marsh area next to the estuary. There were small to large holes
filled with water and sludge much as l imagined a peat bog would be like. It
was low tide and hundreds of boats were lying in the thick mud in clusters. It
was an interesting scene.

Secure your moorings!

As we drove along a highway we saw a sign to an Owl
sanctuary. This was a must but on turning off the main road we soon became lost
on some narrow lanes. The English are not great on signage and we found
ourselves having to ask a disgruntled geezer (I’m learning the lingo) where it
was. He was annoyed because he was trimming the hedges on the side of the road
in front of his house. I assume each landowner has some responsibility for
keeping the verges neat just like their responsibility for their thatched
roofs.

Apparently if your house has a thatched roof it cannot be
changed according to the UK’s equivalent to the
National Trust. Further, if it is straw thatching it must remain so and
similarly for slate roofed dwellings. All too much!

We arrived at the sanctuary to find they were closing for
the season and that the flight show wasn’t happening. We had the feeling
that apart from looking after injured birds the place was for collecting
species as much as being a safe haven, the owls from overseas indicating this.
We enjoyed looking at the bird species and I saw a Great Grey Owl for the first
time. Sadly though, a Barn owl had me choking as it seemed to be begging for
freedom in my mind’s eye.

"Please release me"

Glenda had purchased a sim card for the ipad so for the
first time we were able to use the satellite navigation system which took all
the worry about driving to our next destination....apart from the narrow lanes
of most roads. We made our way back inland to Diss ( what can l say?) and after
getting lost despite the tracking device eventually landed at a farm park
called "The Grange". This was a great spot with a dam (pond), walking
tracks over a field edged with blackberry hedges and quite a few new birds.

We didn't have good phone coverage so it was frustrating to
have our connection drop out regularly. I still couldn't phone home so it was
equally annoying.

Day 6 October 4th

Thetford & Bury St Edmunds

The pond behind the caravan park beckoned early and despite
the frost l managed to see some new species. A pair of Red legged Partridge
from a long way off was the prize sighting.

Self & andy Tate (4th Dan)

Andy Tate, an Englishman who had married a US servicewoman
met us around 10 a.m. to take us on a local tour. Andy had spent three years on
Okinawa and held the rank of 4th Dan in Shorin Ryu Karate. He was an extremely
enthusiastic guy and took us firstly to his home in Thetford where we got to
know him over coffee. A walk to the lakes behind his home gave us three new
birds for the trip as well as our first English birder. I regret not asking for
a photograph with him as he was the quintessential idiosyncratic.

We drove to a pub called the Elveden Inn which was owned by
a relative of the Earl of Guinness. Naturally we had a pint and an enjoyable
meal.I chose "Toad in the
Hole" if only to finally see and try it after Glenda remarking about it
years ago.

The use of vines on buildings was well done

Andy wanted to show us Bury St Edmunds which is an ancient
city dating back over 1000 years. The Abbey of St Edmunds was fantastic! The
ruins gave a tiny hint of what must have been a miraculous place judging by the
drawings and models of what the surrounds were like. It was near here that
Cardinal Langton and the Barons swore an oath that they would obtain a
ratification of the Magna Carta by King John in 1214. We entered the St Edmunds
Cathedral, a small building compared to the original Abbey but one which made
the Cathedral in Bendigo back home look ordinary. So many stained glass windows
and the ceiling architecture just left us stunned, wondering how the hell those
early craftsmen managed such an engineering and artistic feat.

St Edmunds Cathedral

The architecture inside was breath taking.

We picked up Andy's son, Kieran and we drove back to our
motorhome. Andy got lost despite the sat nav equipment which he has lent us for
the next five weeks. We said our goodbyes and retired to our motorhome. It was
an insightful day courtesy of a great guy.Hope we meet again.

Day 7 October 5th

Diss - Snettisham

It rained steadily for most of the night but by morning it
had cleared apart from the overcast sky. With Andy's sav nat we thought things
would be a big improvement but unfortunately this gadget didn't account for the
size of our vehicle.

We headed for Snettisham which wasn't too far away but
suddenly found ourselves being directed down some excruciatingly narrow lanes. The
device plotted the quickest way to our destination which meant farmers and
their tractors had to get out of our way. That was the theory anyway.

Once again we found the lack of signage appalling when it
comes to places. We found Snettisham okay but the Queen Victoria Pub and park
was difficult. We set up out the back where five sites were located (pitches as
they call them). Following lunch we drove to Snettisham Nature Reserve for a
look about. It was very windy and for the first time we felt cold.

The mudflats at Snettisham.

Note the whirling flocks of small waders too far out to identify

After a long walk through a grassy lane edged with
blackberries we came to the beach. The tide was a long way out and vast mudflats
were exposed. Shelduck was the most obvious bird on the area due to its white colours
but a number of small waders in pairs or alone were fossicking about. I managed
a Ringed Plover and a Grey Plover amongst others. Some lapwings were hunkered
down amongst some Starlings on an island on the river that accompanied the lane
way parallel to the beach.

On the way out I came across a family of Egyptian Geese
which was a real find.

Day 8 October 6th

Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve

Jackdaws were plentiful and used chimney pots for nesting

I did a quick walk around Snettisham early and noted a
number of Jackdaws that had been using old chimneys as nesting sites. Hopefully
the fireplaces aren't going to be used this winter!

We walked to the local playing field where a car boot
market was in full swing. Lots of junk and friendly people but we managed to
buy some vegetables and a present for Obi 1 when he / she arrives at the start
of December. (our first Grandchild).

Bearded Tit

Our target today was the Titchwell Marshes Nature Reserve
which was only about 30 minutes from our base at Snettisham. We arrived mid
morning and were shocked by the number of birders there. In Australia you might
get a dozen at a special site but today all car parks were nearly full with
hundreds of twitchers moving about. I couldn't believe the number of scopes and
500+ lenses being sported.

Avocets - just too far away

The place is run by the RSPB and typically we found they
were asking for money and new members. The guy at the entrance gave me an
unwanted spiel about the benefits of an annual membership but wouldn’t allow a month long one in
our case.We paid the £4 parking fee and entered. Bird
feeders were suspended in places to attract the small bushland birds while bird
hides (lavish by Australian standards) were placed around the fresh and salt
water ponds.

Common Redshank

We ended up with over 15 new species for the trip.

Shelduck

We had a pizza for lunch courtesy of the RSPB headed back
to Snettisham. I managed to raise Emily by phone early this morning for the
first time. She appeared to be doing well and not concerned about the lack of
contact. It was all reassuring really.

Day 9 October 7th

Snettisham to Withernsea

A light fog greeted us as we left the Queen Victoria pub
and headed north. Initially we were going to Nottingham but a camper advised
against it. York was next but then the same camper suggested the beach east of
York. Somehow we got the name wrong and five hours and a few wrong turns later
we arrived at Withernsea.

The beach at Withernsea

This place has nothing much to offer us save a cheaper
camping fee and fair facilities. After putting on the washing machines at £4 a load I ventured to the
cliffs nearby overlooking the ocean. Erosion is a big concern here and
apparently the ruins of two churches lay two hundred meters off shore, a sign
of a once higher sea level or land mass.

We planned our next two weeks in our assault on Scotland. Tomorrow
its York followed by Whitby then up to Edinburgh. It’s getting better all the time.

Day 10 October 8th

York

Again we were met with a light fog which makes photography
less sharp amongst other things. We are relying on Glenda s laptop for
directions which works reasonably well but we still manage to make some bad
turns. My joke was that we drove "to Hull and back before headin' to
Hedon". Sorry.

A view of York

We decided to sack York today and in saying so we realized
quickly that we were a thousand years too late. First the Romans invaded in the
first century A.D. followed by the Vikings 800 years later. We parked the van
at the Park and Ride outside of the city and took the bus for £2.50 each into the city
centre. This was much like London in its heart in that the architecture was
grandiose to say the least.

We visited the Jorvik Viking Centre which had some great
displays and artefacts from the nineth century courtesy of some remarkable archaeological
digs. These have been preserved in some very impressive and innovative ways
such as glass walkovers and 3D imaging together with a few skeletons displayed
to show forensic evidence of their respective lives.

The twin towers of York Cathedral

We looked at the castle ruins nearby which enables some
excellent views of the city before hopping onto a tour bus which took us around
the old walls and gates of York as it was in Norman times. Some of the
commentary was just plain bloodthirsty but in the end these were brutal times.

York Castle

A quilting museum attracted Glenda’s attention (no!?!!) but at £6 each we were disappointed. Not
much if anything more than an art gallery.

York is a fascinating city which still retains large
sections of the walls and gateways that were built in Norman times. The river
that flows through the city is beautiful although our bus guide told of severe
flooding recently that caused significant damage in some places.

Old Castle Gateways still span the entrance

to the inner city, making it small vehicles only

We returned to the motorhome and headed towards Scarborough
where we booked into a farm at Serburn. It was a tranquil place and the lady
alerted me to a flock of Canadian Geese and Pink footed Geese nearby. I jogged
on over and had a look but the dusk light made a photograph impossible. A girl
in a florescent jacket bicycling by made them take to the air and disappear. I
kept my cool if only just.

Day 11 October 9th

Serburn to Whitby to Belford

After the frustration of last night’s failed photographs of the
geese I was up early taking shots of some local bush birds. As always the
Robins called clearly and stayed put. I see this bird daily but I’m convinced a better shot is
still waiting.

The gear these enthusiasts bring is amazing

A frosty night made for a beautiful day although the mist
didn't clear for some time. An old fisherman was setting up by the pond on this
farm just on dawn. He was after a carp of all things and was joined by another
angler about an hour later although the second gent set up on the other side of
the pond.

Signs indicated that fishing at this location was for
members only. It appears that angling is organised much like the caravan clubs
and the birdwatching sites. Membership of a group allows you access to farm
ponds and streams as well as maps and suggestions on where to go. What
intrigues me is the amount of gear each fisherman carries and sets up,
everything from lean-tos to portable stoves and the latest in camouflage gear.
I know it gets cold but some of the characters we’ve come across tend towards
the eccentric. Then again, this is England.

More small towns met us as we headed north, the distance
between them amazingly short. A lot of narrow streets with the same old stone
churches with headstones scattered in their grounds. The practice of growing
vines to cover cottage brickwork looked beautiful in some cases. What I couldn’t get over was the shop fronts
in these villages. There was precious little signage to show what they were
selling or any change to the facade to differentiate them from the cottages or
houses next to them.

The York Moors

The York Moors were fascinating in their flat, starkness. The
plants reminded us of salt bush in their size and texture, the big difference
being their brown colours. Much of the area has been turned into pasture and in
this the land looks much like the same in Victoria.

Whitby

The entrance to Whitby

We stopped at Whitby by the sea and were amazed at the
picturesque setting despite the crowds of tourists. It was like I imagined but
with much more. We drove down into the town and found a good park by the wharf.
The English love their boats is all l can say. On the east side of the estuary
was a high cliff on top of which was the ruins of the old abbey.

The ruins of the Abbey on the hill

It was this ruin that Bram Stoker was apparently inspired
by when he wrote "Dracula". He spent a lot of his time in the seaside
town during his study of the supernatural.

You could spend a long time photographing this place but as
luck would have it, it was closed to visitors.

We hugged the coast as much as possible for a while but the
restricted speed and the trouble with oncoming buses forced us inland to better
roads.

The newish city of Redcar was a dramatic change to the old
England places we’d passed through as
it was spread out and modern. We moved steadily north and I think l might have
been photographed speeding as we neared our destination at Belford in
Northumberland. We settled into the Blue Bell Caravan Park run by the Caruthers
family.

Local Mute Swans at the blue Bell

To give Glenda a break I bought fish and chips from a shop next
to the park. I told the English owner that we were told it was essential to
have some before we left England. He replied that they were over rated and he
was right.

Day 12 October 10th

Holy Island to Edinburgh

Today was just magic in terms of the weather; hardly a
breeze and no cloud. We left the caravan park mid morning without seeing the
caretaker (I wonder whatever happened to old Caruthers?).

The causeway was much more substantial than we envisaged

Tourist brochures suggested that crossing onto Holy Island
was only possible during a brief two hour period at low tide. Today’s tide chart said it would be
safe by one o'clock so we didn't expect to get too close nor were we really
considering driving on a narrow causeway that had claimed a number of cars in
the past. A birdwatcher parked on the causeway changed all that.

Eider ducks near the causeway

The tide was substantially low when we arrived and still
dropping. The guy told us that we would be safe until high tide which was after
nightfall. That gave us a full day in a very special place. We drove straight
over stopping briefly to photograph a female Eider Duck plus a number of waders
enjoying the mudflat that led to the island proper.

A car park for visitors enabled us to walk around the small
fishing village out to the remains of a castle built centuries ago to ward off
Viking raiders. It was a beautiful setting.

The Castle on a perfect day!

Glenda taking a break on the stroll to the cast

Back in town we visited the ruins of the Priory which was
built in the 700's. This enabled one of the most breathtaking vistas we've ever
come across. On any other day it might not have been so.

The waders on the causeway were between us and the sun so
further photography there was useless although I added substantially to our
trip list.

The Priory graveyard

We headed north towards Scotland and took a detour to St
Abbs on the coast. It was the wrong time of year for birds nesting on the
cliffs so we kept going to the city of Dundee.

We were now in Scotland and already there was some relief
in the driving. The main road into the capital wasn't too bad by comparison
with some we’d driven in
England.

Our stop for the next three nights was the Edinburgh
Caravan Club Park next to the Fourth of Firth. It was well spread out, very
well presented and full of travellers. The Scottish accents were already in
evidence and I was greatly amused listening to the banter of the children
playing in the playground. That was unusual for us!